


Abnormal

by Littlestbug



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Modern AU, Semi Slow Burn, Witness Protection, and the power of friendship, decided to offically work on this to cope with recent spoliers haa, nothing but shenanigans and angst here folks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:47:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26285923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Littlestbug/pseuds/Littlestbug
Summary: Brought together into one apartment complex, the recently acclaimed author of the children's book 'Titans' and an ex-member of Kenny's recently busted drug cartel, somehow manage to form a stable friendship.
Relationships: Levi/Hange Zoë, Petra Ral & Hange Zoë
Comments: 8
Kudos: 47





	1. First Encounters

Hange drummed her pencil against the wood of her desk as she took in the sight of her finished illustration. 

She had greatly underestimated how long the shading on the titan's muscles would take, and ended up having to pull an all nighter. This particular piece had been a real wrist breaker, but judging from the results, sacrificing a good night's sleep had been the right call. 

She yawned into her hand and glanced over at the window. The sun had long since risen up.

_"Breaking News,"_ A sharp voice said, cutting through the silence. _"Escalated drug cartel violence has been making its way throughout the country...police raids have successfully captured key players...some of who are now placed into witness protection to prosecute–"_

Damn, she had forgotten to turn the television off. Hange half-listened to the report while she stepped over the scattered mess of paper balls, piles of worn clothes, and sketchbooks, lying on the floor, making her way over to her prized figurines. 

Beans and Sawney.

They were a pair of realistically painted muscle, anatomical figure, built-in with moveable arms and legs. Beans even had his own set of veins. The two were the only thing in the apartment that Hange kept cleaned regularly. She picked up the remote from beside them and clicked the channel off. 

A soft knock rattled against the door.

"Come in," Hange called out from across the room. "The doors open." 

The doorknob turned, and in came the petite frame of Petra Ral, holding a plastic bag in hand. "I brought you lunch for today," Petra said with a polite smile. "Looks like my hunch was right. You forgot to eat again, didn't you?"

"Caught red-handed," She said, putting up her hands in mock defense. "Please tell me that's more of your mom's home cooking?"

"Who else would overcook this much?" Petra said. She walked over to the counter and neatly placed the bag on top. Opening the plastic, she began taking the containers of food out. "That reminds me, did you notice the new tenant that just moved in. He's living in Shadis's old room, now."

_Shadis._ Hange's heart clenched a little at his name. She was going to miss his heated shouting matches with the other neighbors. There was just an intensity about him that could never be replaced. 

"That would explain all the noise I've heard on the other side of the wall lately. Thought I might have gotten lucky and had a ghost." Petra rolled her eyes at that. 

"Hate to disappoint you, but he's no ghost. You'll have to try and make do with a human _,_ neighbor." Petra looked down, "Oh, shoot." 

"Something wrong?"

"I forgot to pack the rice! My mom would kill me if she found out I almost let you eat the curry without it-" Hange waved off her concerns. 

"Hey, it's no big deal. I'll go with you. I still need to give your mom my proper thanks. She's saved me from far too many empty stomachs."

"Hmm. Not a bad idea. Mom will be too busy buttering you up for spoilers to notice me sneaking back in. She has been bugging me nonstop to ask you about the release date for your next book."

Hange had to laugh at that. Mrs. Ral wasn't the only one.

Titans had taken the world by surprise. 

She hadn't expected the book to be as popular as it was, especially given the fact that it was an illustrated horror novel for children. But as her editor explained, a lot of adults had connected with it's darker themes of death and found the horrific monsters appealing.

Hange was just excited to have found others who loved the idea of titans as much as she did.

It was almost therapeutic in a sense, seeing the creatures that have spent years living dormant in her head brought to life on paper. The human body had always fascinated her, and what were titans, if not an exaggerated expression of the anthropomorphic form.

Walking out of her apartment, the two friends hurried down the long hallway towards the stairs. Cutting a sharp corner too fast, Hange collided with another person, _hard._ That was going to leave a bruise. 

"Sorry, I didn't..." Hange's words trailed off as she slowly looked down, "...see you there?" 

_Admittedly, not her best choice of words_ , she realized as she took in the stranger's stature. He was a head's length shorter than her, with a scowl that could welt flowers. Dark set of eyes stared up at her. 

"Then watch where you're going, shitty four-eyes." He roughly pushed past her without another word.

Hange was left staring speechless as he continued to walk down the hall. She adjusted her glasses.

Shitty?

There was a short tug on her arm.

"Hange? What are you standing around for?" Petra said. "I thought you were right behind me."

"Sorry, I got…?" Hange raised a questioning eyebrow. She wasn't sure what to even call it. 

Petra huffed from beside her.

"Just come on, please."

* * *

Successfully having gotten the tube of rice, Hange headed back to her room to enjoy her well-earned meal. 

Her step faltered when she saw the same, short man from her earlier altercation standing in the hallway.

He was with another stranger, whose height towered over them both. He held an air of sophistication around him, blonde hair combed over neatly to the side in a kempt fashion, with a set of thick eyebrows to match.

Piercing blue eyes trailed up to look at her as she walked by. Mr. Eyebrows made sure to wrap up their discussion by the time she got within earshot.

"With that said, I'll be on my way. Call here if you have any further questions." Eyebrows said, pulling out a white card. The shorter man took it wordlessly from his hand.

Standing in front of her doorway, it suddenly occurred to Hange that this grumpy guy was the new tenant. Her new next-door neighbor, to be exact. 

When he noticed her staring, he openly glared at her again, before stepping in and slamming the door to his apartment shut. She heard the sound of a lock click and sighed.

So much for being friendly. 


	2. Judgement

It was almost funny, how a seemingly random game night from almost a year ago, could flip Hange's vacant social life right-side up. Hosted inside the apartment's clubhouse, Petra and Hange had joined in at the last minute, and were put in the only team still lacking five members. 

This team would later slaughter game night. 

It was as if faith had brought the perfect group together, easily beating their way to the top and winning the grand prize. Afterward, they had found their way outside of the game room and into a bar. What originally was supposed to be a single night of fun to celebrate their victory had soon become something more. 

Now, every so often, the group got back together to go out and get wasted off their asses. Tonight was one of those nights.

"That new tenant is the absolute worst," Olou said. Hange, Eld, and Petra collectively groaned. Gunther had already left to go the first round of shots, so there was no one here to stop the oncoming rant.

"That's not fair, none of us even know him," Petra spoke up, slightly annoyed. She stirred her straw inside the glass of her cocktail, watching the colors swirl. "Maybe he's a nice guy underneath? He's been nothing but kind when I've spoken with him." 

"That's 'cause you're the landlord's daughter," Olou scoffs. "That fact alone completely changes the game."

"I don't know..." 

"Listen, that jerk has been vacuuming his room non-stop this entire week," Olou complained, "And when I _kindly_ go out of my way to inform him, 'Hey, people are trying to get some goddamn sleep, have you ever heard of a broom, asshole?' you know what he does?" 

"Tells you to fuck off?" Eld guessed, bored. 

"Not even close, he looked at me like he was going to hack off my head and slammed the door right in my face."

Petra and Eld didn't seem moved by the story. 

"Don't you live next to him as well, Hange?" Eld said from the right of her. They all turned to look at her. "What's your take? You think Olou's right?"

Hange laughed nervously. Her first impression of her new neighbor hadn't been great, and every brief encounter they've had in the hallway since had been him actively ignoring her. However, despite this, she was still hesitant to categorize him yet. 

Shadis hadn't been the kindest when he had first moved in either. Many had described him as being an absolute nightmare to be around. But he wasn't just the tough exterior he projected. There had been moments where Hange could see the cracks of vulnerability from a past he never indulged in. She would have never known that if she hadn't given him the chance to be more than his introduction. 

Thankfully, Gunther's return saved her from having to answer. 

"Who's ready for the first round of shots!" He yelled, holding up the plate. The group cheered loudly, raising their glasses to the sky. There was nothing like drowning out their stressful lives with friends.

* * *

Heading back to the apartment complex, the group slowly dissipated. Hange had stayed behind with Gunther to help get Petra, who had fallen into a drunken sleep, back into her room.

"Do you need me to walk you home?" Gunther asked. His eyes were clouded over, clearly haven already pushed past his limits to get their friend back safe. Hange waved him off. 

"I'll be fine, my place is just up the stairs and around the, um..." She was starting to lose her train of thought. 

"Corner?" Guther provided.

"Yeah, _that,_ " Hange said.

Everything that came next was a blur. Hange had somehow succeeded in making it to her doorway, but now, the doorknob wouldn't stop spinning in circles. By the grace of god, she managed to aim the key correctly into the keyhole– though oddly enough, it wouldn't turn no matter how hard she budged. The door suddenly flew open. Standing inside was her neighbor, dressed in looser fitting clothes.

"What the hell are you doing?" He muttered, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Eh? How did you get inside my apartment? Did Bean let you in?"

"Look at the damn room number." He said.

Hange did. The bold, painted numbers stood out against the cheap paint of the door: 102. Her room number was 103. She started laughing and moved her hand to take the key out.

"I guess that's why the door wouldn't–" They both froze at the sound of a loud snap.

"Did your key just _break._ " 

She stared down and observed the broken piece in her hand. Then she looked back at the keyhole, where the other half was still stuck. Now, she felt like throwing up. 

"I think I'm going to be sick." 

She wasn't sure how she ended up on his couch, vaguely aware of the blanket placed over her body and a pillow shoved under her head. Her neighbor's form came back into vision when he put a small trash can beside her.

"Aim for this if you have to spill out your guts."

That was the last thing she heard before she closed her eyes again.

When she reopened them, she was alone. The room was completely dark, with her only source of light coming from the street lamps shining through the window. Hange sat up against the couch and felt the room spin. During her moment of ailment, her phone slipped out and fell under the makeshift bed. Slowly, as not to trigger any puking incidents, she reached down to pick it up. Her fingers slid across a piece of unknown, cold metal. 

_Huh?_

There was a slight weight to the object when she picked it up. Bringing it out into the open, Hange immediately recognized the outline.

It was a gun. 

Most people would panic, scream even. Probably chuck it away from them in a fit of terror. She did neither. Pushing it back to its place under the couch, she covered herself under the warm blanket and closed her eyes again.

Her phone laid all but forgotten on the floor.

* * *

Hange woke up to the sound of water pouring. 

She immediately sat up with a groan. While her stomach had settled, her head was a different story. The pounding in her skull mixed with the same dizziness from last night told her that she had a major hangover. 

When Hange looked back underneath the couch, she found it empty–the gun now gone. Glancing up, she saw her phone and glasses stacked neatly together. 

Awake and equipped with her glasses, she could take in the apartment with clear eyes. It was completely spotless, no dust or dirt in sight. She didn't even know the floors could look this shiny. 

"Your friend kept ringing you this morning, so I answered your phone." Came a sudden voice. Her neighbor walked towards her and handed out a glass cup filled with water. _Friend,_ he must mean Petra. "She said she'd be over soon." 

"Thank you," Hange said, sipping the cold water.

He sat down on the chair adjacent to the couch, holding another mug. Silence fell over them as neither tried to make conversation. She wondered if she should say something, but decided against it. Small talk had never been her strong suit.

"You were surprisingly quiet." He said. Hange stared up at him in confusion. 

"In your sleep. I thought you would be one of those obnoxiously loud snorers, but you weren't." Hange looked down at the cup and smiled at her reflection. That was probably the kindest thing he's said to her so far. 

"Glad to hear it," Hange beamed.

"It was an observation, not a compliment."

_Still,_ she thinks, _I'll take it._

"You know, it's strange. I've already slept over at your place, and I still don't even know your name." 

He took a long sip from his drink, holding it from his hand at an odd angle. There was a short pause, and for a moment, she thought he wasn't going to answer. 

"Levi...Rivaille." He said flatly.

"Hange Zoe." She said in return, mirroring him. 

It didn't take long for Petra to come rushing into his apartment afterward. She apologized profusely for the trouble and made sure Hange did the same as well. 

"My father already called the Locksmith, so he'll be over shortly. Again, sorry for the inconvenience." Petra's cheeks flushed when she made eye contact with Levi. 

"It's fine," He said in a way that left you feeling as if it wasn't. But coming from him, maybe that was as genuine as it gets. Turning around to address Hange, Petra handed her a spare key.

"We'll talk about this later," She whispered lowly. Hange gulped, she was definitely in trouble. "I've to run back to work, so I'll trust you to see yourself out, alright?" 

"Will do..." Hange said. Stepping halfway out of the door, she glanced back and spotted Levi folding the blankets from the couch back into a neat bundle. She thinks of last night's conversation and her initial uncertainty over condemning Levi before even getting to know him.

While Hange was still leagues away from understanding him, she'd like to think her impression of him has improved.

If just a little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Funny story, though Levi is using the fake alias "Rivaille" here, years ago, I used to think this was Levi's actual last name due to early on translation confusion. I thought it'd be a fun throwback to use lol


	3. Surprise

Levi had never been the type to sit around idle before. 

With the cartel, there was always work, whether that be exchanging goods, conducting business deals, intimidating competitors, or whatever else Kenny had in mind for the day. Rest was something to be earned.

The protection program allowed him to receive monthly payments, so finding a job wasn't an incentive for the time being, and since all of his groceries were delivered by using the app on his phone, he had no real reason to risk going outside. The most daring thing he's done up till now had been surveying around the complex to mentally map out his new surroundings.

But as another week spent cooped up in the apartment passed by, he felt the walls begin to close in. His eyes flickered to his phone. 

A part of him longed to check in on Mikasa, to hear for himself that she and her family were safe. Leaving so suddenly, he had no choice but to cut off any connections to his past life. He figured Furlan and Isabel were smart enough to lay low, but his relatives had no knowledge or connection to the business. 

_Cease any contact with former friends or family members,_ he recalled Erwin saying. _No matter the circumstances, someone always slips up and gets caught_. 

That had been one of the many rules Erwin had issued out before giving him this apartment. Levi frowned. He was well aware that acting on those impulses held dire consequences. Putting them in Kenny's line of fire was the last thing he wanted. He didn’t need him of all people to tell him that.

He glanced over at the clock. _Speaking of the bastard,_ Levi thought. He moved over to unlock and open the door before Erwin had the chance to knock. 

"Very precise," Erwin said, impressed.

"I could say the same for you."

"One needs to be if they wish to do their job well," He placed a small, plastic container into Levi's hand. "Random drug test. Pee in this."

Levi tsked but didn't put up a fight. He turned to leave for the bathroom. After he finished, he returned to the living room and placed the container back on the counter.

"How are you adjusting to your new environment?" Erwin asked, picking up the sample. 

"As well as anyone forced to conversate with the guy holding a can of their piss." He said. Erwin smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes. He holds his blank stare until Levi eventually relents with a sigh. 

"It's quiet." _Almost too quiet_ , he doesn't add. "Everyone here has treated me accordingly. As far as I can tell, no one suspects a thing."

The second he finishes that sentence, an image of Hange pops into his mind. He made a mental note to deal with her later.

That gun hadn't move several inches out of its original position by itself.

"Good," Erwin said, "I presume you will call me if any problems do arise."

"Like if Kenny shows up." He suggests. This answer causes Erwin's lips to turn up into a genuine smile. 

"Has he?" 

"Not yet."

"Yet." Erwin echoes smoothly,"So you think he'll be able to track you." 

"I don't think, I know. When Kenny puts his mind to something, logic be damned, he'll find a way to do it. It could be tomorrow or ten years from now. The only question left is when." 

Erwin's eyes drift towards the bottle of insomnia pills he left out on the table. Levi curses himself for it. 

"I see. Kenny's lack of capture has put a fair amount of stress on you. While he remains free for now, I can say, without a single doubt, that he has no chance of successfully finding you as long as you keep a low profile. But let me remind you, a low profile does not mean having to hibernate in your room for the rest of your life, though you are not discouraged from doing so." 

Levi remains quiet, staring down the inspector as he continued running his mouth. 

"So, go out, get some fresh air, see the city. It's to be your new home, after all." 

* * *

Against his better judgment, Levi takes Erwin's advice. 

He figured one trip down to the local coffee shop wouldn't be the end of the world. The autumn breeze was cold against his cheeks, ruffling up his hair and jacket. Unlike his old town, the streets weren't nearly as overcrowded.

Despite this emptiness, Levi kept his eyes strained for any sudden movements.

Maybe he was going insane after all, letting his guard down like this. He almost considered calling it off and going back home, but a small voice in the back of his head reminded him that this is what he had wanted for a long time.

A clean slate. A new life far away from Kenny, from the drugs and the violence. 

_Freedom._

So why was he so damn hesitant?

Eventually, Levi stopped in front of the building, which made turning back even more pointless. He took a deep breath and opened the door.

Upon entering, his ears picked up on the soft sound of jazz music playing from the shop's speakers. The dimmed lighting on the inside were easy on the eyes, creating a comfortable atmosphere. 

It was somewhat peaceful. 

"Levi!"

And there it goes. Levi looked over across the room to see Hange walking towards him.

"Just the man I wanted to see," She held out a coffee cup for him to grab. "It's good that you're here actually. I was planning on going back to the apartment to give this to you, which would have definitely made the drink less refreshing."

When Levi doesn't move to take it, she continued speaking.

"It's black tea. I noticed it was the only brand you had out on the kitchen counter, so I figured it must be your morning go-to drink. Think of it as an extra thanks for your help the other night." 

Levi blinked in surprise, caught completely off guard. 

"Thanks..." He said awkwardly, taking the cup. His eyes stayed on her figure until she left the coffee shop.

It hadn't slipped his mind that she has yet to ask about the gun, and her actions today only confirm that she's much more observant than she lets on. He looked down at the cup again. But, if she's choosing to keep her mouth shut and act as if nothing happened, then he'll have to let it go, for now. 

Levi took a small sip of the tea. It was still warm. 

* * *

On his way back home, he stopped at the window of a book store. The sight of a familiar name caught his eyes.

_'Get it now! The worldwide, critically acclaimed children's novel, 'Titans' by Hange Zoe!'_ read the bright, colorful sign. Underneath was a large display of said book. On the book’s cover stood a drawing of a tiny, brunette girl standing alongside a grotesque, humanoid monster. 

Was this supposed to be for kids?

He had never given much thought as to what Hange's life might be like outside of the few interactions they've shared, but this was certainly not what he had expected. It's rare that Levi finds himself surprised by others, much less by the same person, on multiple occasions.

Nothing about Hange Zoe was predictable. 

Perhaps it was for that reason alone, that Levi ended up with a purchased copy in hand. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
